Understanding The Autoimmune Disorder Crohn's Disease
Scott Michaels
Crohn’s disease is a systemic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
of unknown cause, that results in chronic inflammation of the
intestinal tract.
It can affect the entire gastrointestinal tract from mouth to
anus, and can also cause complications outside of the
gastrointestinal tract.
The incidence of Crohn's disease in North America is 6:100 000,
and is thought to be similar in Europe, but lower in Asia and
Africa Unlike the other major inflammatory bowel disease,
ulcerative colitis, there is no known medical or surgical cure
for Crohn's disease.
Many medical treatments are however available for Crohn's
disease with a goal of keeping the disease in remission.
Many patients with Crohn's disease have symptoms for years
prior to the diagnosis. Because of the patchy nature of the
gastrointestinal disease and the depth of tissue involvement,
initial symptoms can be more vague than with ulcerative
colitis.
Common initial symptoms of Crohn's disease include the
following;
Abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody diarrhea, and peri anal
discomfort.
Typically, Crohn’s disease only affects areas of the large
intestine. Because Crohn’s disease is most commonly associated
with the large intestine, the most common symptoms are diarrhea
or constipation, and abdominal pain and cramping.
Like all autoimmune disorders, Crohn’s disease is a pretty
serious condition, and there isn’t really any cure for it.
There are some new treatments available, but nothing that will
cure it outright.
Some people seem to get occasionally flare ups from their
Chorn’s disease, but more or less live normal lives. Others
suffer from chronic flare ups their entire lives, which can
sometimes lead to more serious complications.
The medications you take if you are having a flare up are
basically immunosuppressant sorts of drugs and of course
steroids, neither of which aren’t really all that pleasant to
take. They both have a lot of side effects, and the
immunosupressants boost your chances of getting some kind of
opportunistic infection.
About The Author: Crohn's disease is a progressive disease of
the gastro-intestinal tract that is considered an autoimmune
disorder. http://1crohnsdisease.info
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